Strange Magic
by BrutallyRomantic
Summary: Would you rather be corrupted by those outside of your small world, or by the monsters in your own mind. Most would say better the demon you know than the one you don't. Who would you choose?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT blah blah blah

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Regina couldn't place what had happened, couldn't even truly ascertain her own whereabouts. There was grass and trees and a blue sky, though it wasn't her own. Despite Mother's wishes, Regina had many times enjoyed the luscious almost-freedom that the forest provided. Thus, she knew every tree, every branch and every jutting tree root. The one currently digging into her back wasn't a familiar one and the idea that she was somewhere new was both a thrilling and terrifying one.

For now she was alone.

A jolt of memory jarred the young girl, though it provided enough of a jerk to her senses to push her into an upright sitting position. Regina surveyed the surrounding forest and noted that it was significantly thinner than the forest she had been riding through and it didn't appear to have a path anywhere near her current position.

She could remember riding like the wind itself, putting for her best effort in escaping the beast she called Mother, the one that had taken her true chance at happiness only two nights previous. Regina had been to marry the king in the morning and now.. She could not remember being thrown from her horse or anything that would place her here. The urge to call out was great, but the stories she had heard of the dangers of the forest halted her voice in her throat. Silence was safety.

Sitting was doing no good and it only made it easier for whatever predator might be drawing nearer by the second. Regina would never find where she really was by remaining still, so with her decision made she got to her feet and began to walk east, hoping to find some sort of civilization.

Regina had thought this through a few times. Had she not been so naive back then, many things would've gone differently. She felt like she had to take her future into her _own hands_, as strange as it sounded. During the past years she had realized that she'd been manipulated ever since she was born, first by her mother, then by Rumplestiltskin. It had all been a _great_ plan, forged by two _monsters_, and some part of her had slowly realized that she herself.. hadn't played a big role in her own life until now. She had been a simple marionette, and responded to every single pull of the strings.

But it was enough. With the knowledge she'd been given by Rumplestiltskin, she now had the power to change it. She had magic in herself, and she'd learned how to use it. No one could hold her back now. From now on she would teach _herself_ all the things she would have to know. She would teach herself what it meant to be the Evil Queen, years in advance. The only one to corrupt Regina would be Regina herself.  
It sounded like the plan of a madwoman - but Regina didn't realize. She'd been gone for too long, and one of the only wishes she had was to decide for herself what to do. She couldn't undo what had happened, but she could at least warn herself, teach herself beforehand. She would speed up her own awful destiny, and revel in the thought of being the only one involved.

Now she found herself in the middle of the Enchanted Forest, and waited for the curse to work. She was sure she'd done everything right, and she would soon stand in front of a younger version of herself. Smirking, she crossed her arms, and waited.

The forest was larger than Regina had expected, leaving her tumbling and tripping over unfamiliar roots and dips in the earth for nearly two hours. The sun had moved across the sky and began to drop, Regina estimated that sunset couldn't be more than and hour or so off and she could feel the chill in the air. It was frightening to think of being in the woods alone at night, despite the fact that she hadn't heard anything but a few birds since she had woken.

Regina wanted to yell, to scream, but she wouldn't, couldn't. What would Mother say? 'A lady never raises her voice above the gentle hum of a whisper.' Unless of course that voice were aimed at me, Regina thought bitterly. Why should she care what Mother says? She felt sure that if she were still in the woods on their lands that her Mother would have found her already and used magic to bring her back to their castle posthaste,

She hated magic so much, if not for magic Regina would have escaped long ago.

Glaring out at the woods, Regina finally summoned her voice and shouted louder than she ever dared, "I'm never going back!" It was a delicious taste of freedom to scream and not be scolded, or fear reprimand.

It was only moments later that Regina noticed the shadowed figure through the trees. Still feeling exhilarated from her little show of yelling, the brunette took off in a run towards the figure, grateful for the breeches that made it easy to dart through the trees.

"Hey! Hello!" Regina shouted out, savouring the freedom. It was only when she drew nearer that she was able to make out the woman's form, her dress, her face. Stopping dead, Regina paled just yards from..herself. Sort of herself.

"Wh-what magic is this?"

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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT blah blah blah

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_"_Hey_! Hello!" Regina shouted out, savouring the freedom. It was only when she drew nearer that she was able to make out the woman's form, her dress, her face. Stopping dead, Regina paled just yards from..herself. Sort of herself. _

_"Wh-what magic is this?"_

Had she used a wrong spell? Forgotten about something else? Annoyed, Regina leaned against a tree - she'd been waiting for something to happen for quite a while now. Anger boiled up inside her at the thought of Rumplestiltskin's malicious grin, his laughter echoing inside her head. He would have enjoyed to see her fail.

After waiting for another few minutes, Regina sighed, and decided to head back to the castle. If she'd made a mistake, she would find out exactly what it was, and try again. She wasn't going to give up. She would achieve her goal, and decide her own fate.

Smirking to herself now, she could only think of one and the same scenario - standing in front of herself, explaining what would happen, and why she'd decided to bring her here. Regina didn't realize how insane she sounded, how far into the madness she had been driven. She would be talking to herself, and any other person would've stopped right there. But then, her thoughts went farther - if she couldn't actually change what she was made into, she would corrupt herself. She wasn't going to give her enemies, these monsters, the pleasure of hurting the younger version of herself. She was going to do it by herself; and somehow, somewhere in the twisted mind of the Evil Queen, it made sense.

But then, after only walking a few steps away from the tree she'd been leaning on, she heard a voice. Where had she heard this voice before? It sounded a bit off, a bit different.. and when she realized she was listening to herself, her eyes went wide. She had done it.

Another shout told her where the younger version of herself was standing, and she walked into the direction until she saw.. herself. In breeches she'd gotten rid of _years_ ago. Regina decided to just _watch_ for a while, thinking about what she would've done if she'd suddenly found herself in the middle of a forest. It was amusing to see, and only from this scene she understood what Rumplestiltskin himself liked about corrupting the innocence of people.

But then, Regina stepped over a rotten branch, and she knew she'd given herself away. The younger version of herself came closer, and Regina decided to just.. stand there, and see how she would react. Of course, the younger version was surprised, she almost looked terrified, and when she asked what kind of magic this was, Regina couldn't help but arch an eyebrow and grin. Yes, she had been so much different back then.

"Your own magic, dear." She simply responded, examining the younger Regina. It was strange, but Regina felt excited. Excited about the fact that she was going to ruin her own life.

The younger Regina couldn't breathe, her chest was constricting in fear. Her lookalike didn't make sense, she herself had no magic. The only one in her life that she really knew for certain had magic was her mother, and she often liked to play games. The girl's greatest fear was that this was just another game her mother was playing to break her.

This was the cruelest so far. The Regina standing there was older with a sort of look in her eyes that the brunette had only ever seen in Mother. It was the sort of madness she associated with magic and it had her taking an involuntary step backwards. She didn't want to play a game, nor did she want anything to do with magic.

"Whoever you are, I don't want any trouble." The joy she had felt momentarily at seeing another person was extinguished by the fear of magic.

"Oh, I know. You never wanted any trouble."

She _had_ never wanted any trouble. But throughout the years, her attitude had _certainly_ changed. The younger version of herself took a step back, clearly afraid of the older image of herself. Regina knew exactly why. All she'd feared during her teenage years was her mother.

"I know what you're thinking."

She was also aware that she'd scare the young girl even more with what she was about to say, but she didn't care. Regina knew that at some point, she would make herself cry. Out of anger, out of fear, confusion.. But the only fact she could think of was that no one else, not Rumplestiltskin, not her mother, would get the chance of ruining her life. The madness made her blind.

"I am not your mother, believe me. I am you. All you."

Smirking, Regina took a step towards the girl, tilted her head to the side and eyed her from head to toe. Ah, so innocent. So young and pretty she was. And her heart? Regina bit her lip, thinking about how pure her heart back then must've looked. Before the past version of her could decide to move farther away from her, she held her hand up and stroked the young girl's cheek carefully.

"Even if I'm not your mother, you should be afraid. Very afraid. I'm different from you."

The fear had stopped compressing her young lungs for a moment when this person reassured Regina that she was indeed her. The possibility that she wasn't Mother was intense in providing hope and it left Regina almost weak with relief.

It was what followed that had her tensing once more, the fear bubbling back into existence.

"Wh-what do you want?" If this was truly only herself, the fear she felt should be superfluous and silly, unnecessary. But being told she should be afraid left Regina more confused and dizzied than she had been at finding herself in a different area of the forest altogether. Whatever this apparition wanted, it couldn't be good if it followed a warning like that and it made her nearly tremble with fear.

The touch on her cheek was like poison, dangerous and impossible to ignore. She couldn't step back, caught in her own trap.

"What I want doesn't matter."

The elder Regina's smirk grew wider as she travelled her fingers down the girl's neck, stopping right at her collar.

"What I'm going to do?" Drawing her hand back a bit, she let it hover over the girl's chest, hesitating. "I'm going to ruin your life."

Then her hand sank into the younger version of herself, and she pulled. The heart she now held in her hand beat fast, and then faster. It was gleaming red, a bright scarlet red, and Regina almost felt sorry for herself. But only for a moment. Licking her lips, her eyes focused the girl's.

"So pure. It's a shame. You could've been so much more."

It was only going to take a bit of work for her to push herself into the depths of wrath. She knew Daniel must've died only a few days before their encounter. Right now, the younger Regina had nothing left. She was miserable. It was going to get worse, but she didn't know that yet.

"I'm not going to kill you. But.."

Her lips curved into another mad smirk, and she tilted her head slightly to the side. She was going to speak slowly, and enjoy the torture. Just like her mother and Rumplestiltskin had. Back then, she hadn't seen it, but right now, she could _feel_ exactly what they'd felt.

"I'm going to do something much worse to you."

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	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT blah blah blah

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_"I'm going to do something much worse to you."_

Every word drew the young Regina deeper into a fear that she knew should have had her heart racing. But there was nothing. Above anything else it was maddening and even the awful sensation of having her heart pulled from her chest by her duplicate could not match how it felt to have nothing where every fiber of her being knew there should be /something/.

"Why?" The tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she felt betrayed by herself, incapable of fighting back against someone so very clearly stronger than her. What could she do?

"My life is already ruined." It was the truth. There was no Daniel and a marriage to a man who merely wanted to replace his dead queen on the horizon. The child she had thought she could love and perhaps be her escape was the very one who had betrayed her. Regina didn't know whether she wanted to break or break things.

This was breaking her. She couldn't fight, not when this other Regina was so very clearly versed in a sort of magic she could only dream of. Her own body was enthralled with fear, every bit of her attention entranced within this mad version of herself.

"Trust me, your life isn't ruined. Not yet."

Grinning, Regina the Queen squeezed the heart in her hand for a moment causing the younger to curl up in pain, then grabbed the girl by her shoulder and shoved the heart back into her chest.

"And the reason for why I'm doing this is more complicated than you think. But it's only for your best, dear."

The Evil Queen chuckled, convinced by her very own mad plan, and she didn't think for once how cruel it even was. Was she really doing herself a favor if she was the one who would corrupt herself, and destroy her life? To her, the only important thing was that she would be the one. No one else would be controlling her anymore. Only her.

"No need to cry. Save your tears for the real pain."

She was going to build up her own walls, and within the next month, she knew she wouldn't see herself crying anymore. It had taken less than that when Rumplestiltskin had taught her magic. The coldness, the indifference, everything had crept into her heart without her noticing. This time she would witness the whole process.

"You hate your mother, don't you?"

It was one of the most difficult question she'd asked herself again and again throughout the years, and she'd never known how to answer it. She knew she felt disgusted and betrayed, by both Rumplestiltskin and her mother. There had been a certain kind of respect. But she wanted to see how the younger version of herself would respond. How much hatred had already grown, and attached itself like a tumor, to the girl's heart?

Her best..her best. That couldn't be true. Regina couldn't think clearly once her heart was thrust back into her body. She could still feel the ache of it being squeezed in the other woman's hand and her own hand lingered over that spot on her chest as if guarding the organ. It was impossible but she could still see the pulsing red thing the other Regina's hand, helpless and defenseless.

"You're insane. Completely insane." The words she meant to be assertive came out soft and disbelieving as Regina drifted her fingers over her chest. It was all madness.

The abrupt question caught the girl entirely off her guard, leaving her jaw gaping for a moment at the sheer nerve of the inquiry. How dare this other woman, even if it was herself, ask her something like that?

"No, I-I don't." Mother only did what was best for her, right? But this other self said she wanted what was best.. It was contradictory and confusing and all she could do was stutter denials.

"Oh? I might be insane. But that only means that you're insane, too."

The thought made her chuckle again, and it was as if she was speaking to any other creature or human in the forest she'd tortured since she'd become _the Evil Queen_. Everyone out there seemed so _naive_, and seeing it in the younger version of herself almost made her pull a grimace in disgust.

The response the girl had given her though just made her roll her eyes. The girl didn't know what she was in for. Regina knew that there was a part in her that was full of hatred for her mother, even if it had only been really born a few days ago. Right now, she could see that the girl was hiding that part as well as she could, and she knew she was good at it - after all, she was herself.

But in front of herself? All she could see was a frightened little mouse. Insecure, lonely … weak. Seeing herself like that made her angry, and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold herself back for much longer; she was going to punish the girl for being so _naive_ and _scared_. There was no space for that in a situation like hers.

Tilting her head slightly to the side at the response of the girl, Regina bit her lip.

"You will need to be strong, dear. Trust me. It will hurt, it will hurt a lot, but it could all be worse. I am you. I know what's best for you."

It would be so easy to go along with her, this other Regina, the young girl could feel the same sort of magnetic tug that drew her back to her mother time and again. That alone gave her the will, the strength, to fight back.

No one would be manipulating her again, no one would ever take away anything from her. It didn't matter that she would never truly love anything again.

"N-no. I don't care who you say you are, I'm..I'm choosing my own path now." Despite her chosen decision, the air of power that the other woman exuded made it terrifying to refuse her. It made it even more frightening that it was her very own face, albeit several years more matured and hardened in a way that the young Regina could not help but fear.

Regina couldn't help but laugh at the girl's response.

"But you are, dear. I am you. I'm here to guide you, myself."

It sounded crazy, and it must've sounded even more insane to the younger version of herself, but all Regina could feel was amusement, and sadistic pleasure in making _herself_ afraid.

"You really should watch your words though, or you'll make me angry. And you don't want to be angry at yourself, do you?"

With an arch of her brow she stared at the girl, trying to enjoy the first few moments she was having talking to herself. To her, it was so much different from talking to herself in a mirror.. because this girl, _herself_, didn't seem to resemble her much anymore.

Everything hurt, her body and her heart, Regina couldn't think or respond with any clarity. She was confused and lost and her insides ached with a pain she didn't know was possible.

"You..I.. Please.. just leave me alone!" It was getting to her, the girl took several steps backwards as if to leave. This was too much for the heartbroken girl and she wanted to run. She wanted to flee until she lost the sun and the moon and the stars and found the land beyond where she would love and be loved.

"I just want to be free." The words she had spoken already were like a bitter deja vu on her tongue, though significantly more broken, almost pleading.

But this woman, this other her, she was like Mother. She wouldn't give in to pleading, and so Regina ran. She turned and pushed her legs as hard as she could, her only thought and desire to get away.

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	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT blah blah blah

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_"I just want to be free." The words she had spoken already were like a bitter deja vu on her tongue, though significantly more broken, almost pleading. _

_But this woman, this other her, she was like Mother. She wouldn't give in to pleading, and so Regina ran. She turned and pushed her legs as hard as she could, her only thought and desire to get away._

The older Regina could only respond with a grin, "We are alone. _You_ are alone." before the young girl ran. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she let her run for a while. With magic, it wasn't going to be difficult to catch up with her.

Free? Yes, she'd wanted to be free. But throughout her life she'd learned that no one could ever run from fate. This girl's future was to become _her_, _the Evil Queen_, and nothing was going to change it. Realizing that was one of the things that had driven Regina into madness. Whoever and whatever would influence the younger version of herself, it would always end the same. There was no way out.

Waving her arm to the side, Regina disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and showed up right in front of the girl who had tried to get away.

"You've got lots to learn."

In a swift motion, Regina slapped the girl across her face. She would have to learn; _there was no way out_.

The girl's face stung with the force behind that slap, her own hand covering the swiftly reddening handprint on her cheek. She was lost, she couldn't fight, she couldn't even run away. There was no hope, and that made her angry. Regina could feel the rage building in her chest and it scared her, but rather than be afraid she chose to use it.

"If I'm you, why are you doing this?! Why do you want to ruin our life!?"

What kind of sense did it make for her own grown up self to try and break her like this, why would she try and destroy herself?

"Listen, dear, if I don't do it, if I don't destroy our life, someone else _will_ do it. I'd rather torture myself than let anyone else take pleasure in it. Do you understand that?"

Regina felt like she was talking to a child, and she wasn't particularly fond of children herself. Thinking about what she'd done to Hansel and Gretel only made her lips curl into another grin though.

"Mh.. and what about that slap? Did it make you angry? Seems to me like your voice got a lot louder." It was of course, all part of the plan; if she could make herself angry, then it would be easy to get her to banish her mother into another realm. It was the first step into the direction of becoming _the Evil Queen_. The thought excited Regina, and she took a step towards the younger version of herself. Simply staring at herself for a moment, she decided to break the comfort zone another time, and carefully lifted the girl's chin with her hand.

The young girl slapped the offending hand away almost instantly, anger having overridden her fear. "You're just like mother! I won't be like /her/ and I /won't/ be like /you/! You can't make me!" Regina's hand were curled into fists where she stood in order to keep from actually trying to punch herself.

She was tired of being used like a playing piece in the game of chess, moved wherever her mother wished and sacrificed without care in order to win a game. It was really the moment that Daniel was killed in her arms that Regina truly understood her mother's attitude and will to do whatever she must to get what she wants. It was a very rude wake up call, a reality check that Regina would never be able to move past, not really. What is one to do when the person one is supposed to trust and love is the very one that is the betrayer.

Regina still had no clue.

The Queen rolled her eyes. "Aren't you listening? It's inevitable. Your life is about to get worse either way. You're going to be hurt, you're going to get angry, you're going to kill people and destroy lives. Trust me."

Of course it wasn't easy for the young girl to understand, she was confused, probably wondering if she was dreaming, but Regina didn't really care. "After having my life ruined I finally understood what it meant to be weak, dear, and I only grew stronger then. I could tell you what exactly is about to happen in your life, what your mother is going to do, what _you're_ going to do."

Regina had ignored the way the young girl had slapped away her hand. The past version of herself was getting angry, and that was all Regina had wanted. She'd been afraid a few minutes ago, and now she was already standing in front of her with a completely different expression on her face.

"I'm going to ask you again. Do you hate our mother? Don't you want to.. _get rid_ of her? Aren't you angry about she did to.. _him_?" Even now, she couldn't push herself to say his name out loud, and the grin on her face faded. The memory was still painful, and she felt like it was never going to stop hurting. All she'd done since he'd died.. had been to distract herself. To watch others hurt, to feed off their pain. She'd thought one day, it would make it stop.

"I don't hate her." Though little Regina said this with all the conviction she could summon, it didn't come out as strongly as she wanted. She was trying to think up a decent reason to tell the other woman as to why she didn't hate Cora, besides the fact that she was their mother.

When the topic so suddenly shifted into the recent death of her love, Regina stopped cold.

Daniel.. He had made her happy. Daniel could always make her laugh, and he was in love with her. The girl's stomach tightened as his death struck her again. It was as if his death was a stab wound and someone kept twisting the knife.

She still had nightmares about his death, waking up screaming with her face covered in tears. Barely a week had passed, but Regina couldn't think of anything else. What's worse, she didn't have anyone she could talk to about the loss.

She was alone and now she was going to pay the price for running away.

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	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT blah blah blah

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_She was alone and now she was going to pay the price for running away. _

"Let's make this a bit easier for you, shall we?" Regina smirked, clearly amused by the young girl's reply. She remembered holding onto that thought; _No, I don't hate my mother. _But then something had changed, something inside her had shifted when she met Rumplestiltskin. It seemed like she'd never actually believed she could escape from her mother until her death, and then this.. stranger had shown her a way out.

At first of course, she'd been afraid. What if something went wrong, and she'd simply be punished by her mother? She didn't want to hurt anymore.

"We can agree that you're angry at her, yes? I mean.. she _did_ kill him. She ripped out his heart, and she _crushed_ it." Making a fist, Regina reenacted the scene, and with every word that left her lips she sounded more angry, more serious, almost _sadistic_.

"Of course, she only did it for you, right? She only wanted _your best_ by marrying you off to an old man. So you could be Queen some day." Chuckling, Regina grabbed the young girl by her arm. "Do you want that? Do you want to share a bed with an old man? Make _him_ happy, so you can be Queen?"

Disgusted by the mere thought of King Leopold, she pulled the younger version of herself closer. "The next years are going to be the loneliest years of your life, dear. I'm only here to help you, to numb the pain. If you learn how to hurt yourself, and hurt on your own, other's can't hurt you as much."

The other Regina struck a chord when she spoke of Daniel. No one talked about him anymore. It was as if he never existed. Not for the first time, Regina /had/ contemplated running away and in order to do that she would have had to get rid of her mother. There was no way that Cora would let her run and get away with it. And with all the power that the older woman wielded, she could do anything she pleased.

Being victim to power like that was something that Regina would never be used to, though the fear was an old friend.

Regina found herself shutting down, the thought of Daniel having weakened her will to the point where she doesn't fight being pulled by her arm. What could her older self possibly do to her worse than that.

Eyes downcast, the brunette refused to look back up at herself as she nodded nearly imperceptibly.

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"Listen to me." Regina's voice almost sounded like a growl. "First, we need to get rid of _mother_." She pulled the young girl even closer to her, then whispered into her ear. "Then we _kill_ the_ King_." Smirking now, she placed a cold kiss on the girl's forehead.

"But before we have all the fun, you need to suffer, my dear. You need to go through everything I went through, or someone else gets the pleasure of _corrupting_ you." With those words, Regina's hand closed around the young girl's neck. "Don't scream, don't cry, learn to hide it."

By the end of Regina's lessons, the girl would laugh in her face, her thoughts would be as twisted, and her ideas as sadistic as hers. Regina felt no remorse. Today was only the beginning of something great. She was convinced she was the genuis of this story, her _own_ story.

"Pain can turn into pleasure, you just need to learn how it can be done."

The girl felt like a limp doll, her older self tugging at her strings like some sort of twisted puppetmaster. Inside she ached, she was drowning, and all she had to cling to was the voice so like hers but for the darkness leaking through the gaps.

She was right, this other Regina, she had lost everything. She was doomed to a loveless life as a figurehead with no real power. But it didn't have to be like that. This other Regina.. she said so.

Frowning deeply, Regina shook her head halfheartedly. She wanted out, she wanted to get away, but what was she supposed to do? The thought of turning on her mother left the young girl cold and nearly shaking, though whether it was nerves or something more sinister she couldn't be sure.

Aware that the older woman expected an answer, Regina whispered, "I can't.. She's our mother.. I just can't."

Regina loosened her grip on the girl's neck. "What if I tell you that _you will_?" Smirking at her, Regina tilted her head slightly to the side. "I banished mother a long time ago, into another world. My teacher _knew_ I wasn't strong enough to actually _kill_ her, so I just, you know.. sent her far away."

"I know that you aren't strong enough, dear. But don't you want to be _free_? You've been locked away for such a long time now.." Usually, Regina would've been annoyed with anyone else at this point; but amusingly, she wasn't with herself. She could almost feel the girl's confusion, how torn she was inside, because_ once_, she'd felt it herself.

Of course, she could've done it all herself, but she needed_ her_ to do it. She needed _her_ to turn into the monster she already was. There was no other way around it, she needed to be patient. What felt a bit strange to her though was, that she was enjoying tormenting herself more than anyone else she'd hurt, touched or killed.

Regina remembered exactly what the young girl had experienced, done or what she was still afraid of, so she knew which buttons to push. Snaking an arm around the other version of herself, she whispered, "Dear, if you choose to be free, if you banish your mother, I might show you how to feel better." The young girl would have to _feel_ it, _want_ it, to be able to push her mother through the mirror, just like she'd done ages ago. "With the help of Daniel, if you want."

The girl's head jerked up in surprise at the mention of her recently deceased love. How on earth would Daniel be able to help anything? He was.. Even the thought hurt. But he was gone and there was no coming back from dead. Was there?

"Wh-what do you mean? I don't understand." The arm that her older self had wrapped around her felt like a trap, a small cage, but Regina found herself actually leaning into it. She had been raised in a cage, yearning for freedom. Now that she had a chance to escape, all she knew was to confine herself to another sort of cage.

A cage of magic and want.

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	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT blah blah blah

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_A cage of magic and want._

"You want to feel better, don't you?" The grin on Regina's face grew wider, she knew the girl was about to fall into her trap. She was going to make her surrender. "Banish mother, and I'll make you feel better." Of course she couldn't bring Daniel back, she had tried more than once, even with the help of other people. The younger version of herself would try, too, she knew, and fail, just like she did.

"Daniel will help a great deal." Her twisted thoughts almost made Regina laugh out loud, but she stopped herself - the girl had to fulfill the task first, and she didn't want her to become even more suspicious of the situation or of her words. Regina was going to let the young girl believe that the older version of herself was _maybe_ capable, and powerful enough to bring her love back. She knew that back then, she would've done almost _anything_.

"You have to want it for it to work, Regina." It was strange to call the young girl by her own name, but she knew she needed to get through to her. "You will have to use all the _anger_ inside you."

Confliction and temptation warred in the girl's chest, leaving her hesitating and uncertain as to what she should do. It seemed impossible, the notion that Regina could banish her mother. Cora was no weak woman, and the magic she possessed was nothing to shake a stick at either. How was she really supposed to send her mother away, or get her to do anything against her will for that matter?

But to bring Daniel back.. Her older self was powerful and had even suggested that Daniel could come back. Perhaps not so impossible then, Regina hoped.

She had to look up a little to look into the eyes of the person she would become due to the unnatural height of the older Regina's shoes.

Inside, the younger ached and she considered the fact that maybe…maybe this woman could help her, could take away the pain. And if she brought Daniel back.. then Regina would have a second chance at true love. Even the slight chance sent chills of anticipation crawling across her skin.

Pain made her decision for her as she answered, not budging from where she stood, gaze still locked on her future self.

"What..what do I need to do?"

Regina smirked when the young girl agreed. Pulling her closer, she nodded, and tried to reassure_ herself_. "We both know that at this point, you're much weaker than our mother. You have no idea how to use your power, hell, an hour ago you didn't even know you could do magic." Chuckling, she poked the girl with her elbow. "But you don't need power to banish your mother, dear. We have the element of surprise on our side."

Even though Regina was annoyed by the naivity of the younger version of herself, she realized she could take advantage of it; and seeing herself so confused, so scared, but still hopeful now that she'd mentioned Daniel.. was amusing to see.

The first time she'd thought about corrupting herself, the first time she'd thought about handling her past, her future on her own, she'd considered changing some parts of her life. Regina had asked herself if there was another option, another way to banish Cora - she didn't want to copy everything Rumplestiltskin had taught her. At some point she had decided that it would make her feel like she was betraying herself. But this time, the first step.. she wouldn't risk it.

"All you have to do, dear, is give our mother a little push." Regina then pulled back to give the young girl a bit more space. Patting her head, she turned to look the girl straight in her eyes. It was as if she was staring into a mirror, but then.. she wasn't.

The girl reminded her of the life she'd had back then; yes, she didn't have much freedom, but she had Daniel. She had the horses. At some point, she'd been happy. The smile that had been forming on Regina's face faded the second she realized what had happened. No, there was no going back - there was no happy ending for her, and there was no way she'd ever feel the same about anyone else, ever again.

"A push", Regina repeated after herself, making sure that she had heard right. It didn't really make sense, but if the older Regina said that it would work, then how could she argue?

The girl took in the other woman's appearance with a cautious eye, despite having chosen to trust her. The way the other Regina held herself, high and mighty, it was reminiscent of Cora. Her hair was held up high in a complicated style that must have taken ages and the clothing she wore gave off an air of finely tailored armor rather than mere pretty fabric.

Chills of anticipation blended with those of caution as the girl realized just how much like Cora she had become.

There had to be a way to prevent that.

"Yes, a simple push." Nodding slowly, Regina arched a brow. "I did it when I was your age, trust me, you have all of _this_," Holding up one hand, she let a tiny cloud of smoke appear right in front of them. "inside you." It was strange to see a younger version of herself staring at her. What was she thinking? Of course, she'd already mentioned that Regina was acted_ just like_ her mother.

"With power comes responsibility, dear. You can't act like a little girl anymore. You have to toughen up, if you ever want to be able to _push_ your mother out of your life." Regina wasn't sure if she would've believed in the girl if she didn't know it had already happened once. Rumpelstiltskin was not only a genius, but he was a gambler - then again, what did he have to lose?  
At this point though, Regina herself didn't really have anything to lose either, so she was going to enjoy it.

"And when you're done, I'll make you feel better. _Daniel and I_ will show you how to feel better." A mad grin appeared on her face, and she nodded at the young girl. "You'll see, it'll be fun. All you have to do is get rid of _our mother_, and I've done it already, years ago; I believe in you."

The cloud of smoke had startled the girl for a moment before she became enraptured by it. It was a purplish hue that she found to be rather pretty, different than her mother. It looked deceptively harmless and Regina could see why she would have come to like it. And if she was able to just…make things happen, who wouldn't enjoy that?

Before any real thought had happened in her head, Regina found herself nodding to her older self. She was only going to give mother a push, right? Just so she wouldn't have power over her anymore.

Toughening up.. she knew she had to, even if mother had told her that she must be soft and willing and pliable for her new husband, the King. Though he had been kind, thinking of that man.. it sent shivers racing down her spine and back up again. Regina was not entirely aware of what was to happen in the marriage bed, but mother had told her she must smile and make the king believe that she is the happiest woman that ever was.

It frightened the girl that her mother should have to tell her that. Did something dreadful happen to a woman in the marriage bed? Regina had been too afraid of the answer to ask.

But the fear and the..pushing.. it wouldn't last long. She would be alright. The older Regina, so sure of herself and so powerful, she would bring Daniel back and all would be well.

The shivers that had been creeping across Regina's skin came to a halt at that thought, shifting into warm sensations that surrounded her like a hug.

"Alright, yes. I can do it. Just..just show me how."

SMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSM

**Thoughts? Flames? Ideas? Share with me.**


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